Yuliia Starodubtseva produced the biggest upset of this year's French Open on Wednesday, 27 May, defeating second seed Elena Rybakina in a dramatic three-set comeback on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris. The world No. 55 — who had never beaten a top-10 opponent in six previous attempts — dismissed Rybakina 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-4) in 2 hours 28 minutes to advance to the third round of the Roland-Garros women's singles draw.

How the Match Unfolded

Rybakina was in dominant form in the opening set, breaking Starodubtseva at the first opportunity to surge ahead 3-0 and earning a second break to lead 5-1 before serving out the set 6-3. The Kazakh appeared to be cruising toward a straightforward victory.

The 26-year-old Ukrainian, however, refused to fold. Starodubtseva turned the contest on its head in the second set, breaking Rybakina twice to race to a commanding 5-0 lead and close out the frame 6-1. The momentum shift was emphatic.

Nervy Decider and Tiebreak

Starodubtseva carried her momentum into the third set, breaking twice early to move ahead 3-0 and seemingly on course for a straightforward close. Rybakina, however, rediscovered her rhythm and recovered both breaks to level the set at 4-4, setting up a tense finale.

In the tiebreak, Starodubtseva seized control quickly, jumping to a 6-2 lead and this time holding firm to seal the match 10-4 in the breaker — completing one of the most remarkable victories of her career.

The Numbers Behind the Upset

The key statistics told the story clearly: Rybakina committed a staggering 71 unforced errors against just 23 winners, while Starodubtseva — though not flawless — was significantly more disciplined with 36 unforced errors and 13 winners. The margin in errors proved decisive.

What Starodubtseva Said

'Honestly, it's hard to describe. I'm super happy. Elena is one of the top players and has had an incredible year,' said Starodubtseva after the match. 'I expected her to come back. You can't be thinking it's ever going to be easy, even at 3-0 up in the decider. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy. That was so! It was a very hard third set, a very tough match, but I got it done! I'm very proud I could do this today,' she added.

What's Next

Starodubtseva — a former college player and tennis coach in the United States — now advances to the Roland-Garros third round, where she will face either No. 26 seed Hailey Baptiste or China's Wang Xiyu. Notably, the defeat also ends Rybakina's chance of leaving Paris as the new world No. 1 on the WTA Tour. The Ukrainian's run is a reminder that on clay at Roland-Garros, rankings offer no guarantees.